NEWORDER INDUSTRIES launches remote monitoring service to help combat local Web defacement frenzy

October 01, 2016

NEWORDER INDUSTRIES, a specialist information security company in South Africa, has launched HAXED – a unique 24/7 early-warning remote monitoring service that protects against Web defacements and Web vandalism.

HAXED serves as a counter-measure against Web defacement and vandalism, and is the only service of its kind available in South Africa. Says Marthinus Engelbrecht, CEO of NEWORDER INDUSTRIES: "There has been a significant rise in defacements targeted at local domains this year. As a security company operating in the South African space, we believe it important to offer companies a protective solution against this type of attack method, as they continue to increase in popularity."

"The HAXED platform is so much more robust than the simple up-time monitoring services currently offered by the industry, and is the only technology of its kind to accurately identify when Web content has been changed, altered or added to a Web site," Explains Marthinus Engelbrecht, CEO of NEWORDER INDUSTRIES.

As an information security company operating predominantly in the South African space, NEWORDER INDUSTRIES believes it is crucial for local companies to have access to a powerful solution against these types of attack methods, especially since they are only expected to increase further. The nature of cybercrime is such that techniques continually become more sophisticated and increasingly difficult to detect. As such, the currently-available services are too simple to adequately handle this growing problem.

Web defacements have historically not been viewed with a lot of urgency, but given the current circumstances, this is no longer sufficient. "Companies need to understand that Web defacements are not always simply that – very often the perpetrator changes the Web content and artwork merely to serve as a distraction from his bigger goal, which is to upload malware for the purpose of harvesting and stealing information, re-directing traffic or conducting full-blown industrial espionage. And these types of Web compromises have much more severe consequences than just reputational damage.

The HAXED platform not only monitors whether a Website has been defaced, but offers a complete external monitoring service that even identifies acts of vandalism and domain hijacking. Clients can also opt to have Acunetix's Web Vulnerability Scanner run a monthly Web vulnerability scan, which will enable them to take control of their own security, and ensure they are as protected against these types of attacks as possible.

A cost-effective service, HAXED is aimed at SMEs and larger corporates alike. "Web defacement is a very real threat that affects all companies, regardless of size, and affordability against them should therefore be inclusive of smaller organisations as well," Engelbrecht concludes.